Cigarette container



June 8 1926.

G. H. GROSS CIGARETTE CONTAINER Filed Sepf. 12,

Patented June 8, 19 26.

UNITED STATES 1,588,104 PATENT OFFICE.

aroma 1:, cross, or rornxa, mess.

orom'rrn conrama.

- Application fled September 12, 1924. Serial No. 787,400.

Th1s 1nvent1on relates to contamers and more particularly to a containerfor cigarettes. p

Ordinarily, paper wrapping folded and sealed at each end, and in openingthe package it becomes necessary to tear open at least one corner of theupper end of the package, in order to gain access to the cigarettes. Asthe ciga- 'rettes are more or less tightly packed within the wrapping,the removal of the first and even the second cigarette is seldomaccomplished without mutilating the end of the cigarette which is, ofcourse, a disadvantage.

Furthermore, if, a package of cigarettes is' tained therein.

Another object of the inventlon is to provide a container for cigarettesembodyin means whereby the cigarettes will he can to assume a mostaccessible position when the container is o ned so that no annoyancewill be occasione b the smoker being required to feel about 1n thecontainer for one or two remaining cigarettes.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the article embodying the lnvention inthe condition in w 'ch it will be placed upon the market.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the article after removal of 'theouter wrapping Figure 6 1s a similar view taken on the line 6-6 ofFigural, looking in the direction indicated the arrows. Figure 7 1s a.view similar to Figure 5 illustrating a modification of theinvention.

cigarettes are wrapped a As illustrated in the drawings, the containerembodying the invention com rises a pair of sections which aresubstantially ofcounterpart form and one of which is bestillustrated inFigure 4 of the drawings.

Each of these sections, which is indicated 1n general by the numeral-1,comprises a frontwall 2, a rear wall 3, a s1de wall 4, a top 5, and abottom 6, the side of the section opposite the wall 4 being entirelyopen. The

wall 4 occupiesa plane at right an les to the walls 2 and 3, whichlatter'wa ls are located in arallel planes, the edges of the walls 2 an3 and the top 5 and bottom 6 being located all in a. common plane at theopen sideof the section. The top and bottom walls 5 and 6 are oftrapezoidal form and the front wall 2 is, therefore, of less width thanthe rear wall 3. In assembling the two sections, the open sides of thesections are presented toward each other, adhesive 1s applied to eitherthe inner surface of therear wall 3 of the one section or the ends ofthe top and bottom walls 5 and 6 of the sections overlapping as.,shownin Figures 2 and 3. The sectlons of the container may be made of anysuitable material such as cardboard, where, the container is toconstitute an original package, or even heavy paper might serve thepurpose, but if the container is to constitute a novelty to be placedupon the market as a cigarette case, the sections may be formed ofleather, celluloid, or any other material found suitable for thepurpose. In any event, it will be obvious that.inasmuch as the unitedportions of. the sections define a thickened back portion, the tendencywill be forthe sections to remain in closed relation with each other.Likewise, the frictional contact of the surfaces of the top and bottomwalls 5 and 6 of the sections, where they mutually overla will tend toprevent accidental opening of the container, although it may be readilyopened, as shown in Figures 3 and 5 of the drawlngs, by swinging thesections 1 backwardly or away from each other about the united portionsof their rear walls, thereby expos ng the cigarettes contained withinthe container in such a manner that a cigarette may be convenientlyremoved without any damage to its wrapper.

In order that the container may be held closed and suitably protectedafter it has been packed with cigarettes and while it is on the market,and likewise in order to preserve the aroma of the tobacco and a desireddegree of humidity which it possesses at the time of manufacture of thecigarette, the container will be wrapped in a Wrapping 8 of somesuitable paper such, for example, as para-fin paper, and as best shownin Fig ures l and 6 of the drawings.

As heretofore stated, the invention contemplates the provision of meanswhereby the cigarettes, even though they be few in number, will be sopresented, at the time of opening the container, that they may bereadlly removed therefrom without the necessity of feeling about withinthe container, and accordingly a rectangular sheet 9 of, celluloid, orany other resilent or semiresilient material possessing a suitabledegree of stiffness, is arranged within the container prior to thepacking of the cigarettes therein and against the rear wall of thecontainer. By reference to Figure 5, it will be observed that when thecontainer is opened, there will be a tendency to flex the sheet 9substantially at its vertical middle, with the result that the free sideportions thereof will, in tending to maintain the plane of theintermediate portion of the sheet, urge the cigarettes which are restingagainst them, toward .the opening provided at the front of the containerwhen the sections are relatively swung open, and thus the cigarettes aremade readily available. Said sheet 9 may constitute a picture, a coupon,a premium card, or it may simply serve its purpose as a follower orpartial ejector for the cigarettes.

In the form of the invention shown in Figure 7 w of the drawings, therear or back wall of the container, which wall is indicated by thenumeral 10, is integral throughout its width, so that this wallcomprises a single piece of material as distinguished from thecorresponding wall of the previously described form of the inventionwhich is formed in sections having overlapped and united mar inalportions. In this modified form a stiffening strip 11 is adhesively orotherwise secured to the inner face of the wall 10, and imparts to thevertical mid portion of said wall a suflicient degree of stiffness toada the container to be opened and ClOSEdlIithG same manner as thecontainer embod ing the first described princinaeaioe 'ples of theinvention. Likewise this stiffening strip constitutes a backing for thefollower sheet 12 which corresponds to the sheet 9 previously described.Except in the respects noted, the form shown in Figure 7 does not differmaterially from the form shown in the other figures of the drawings.

' Having thus described the invention, what I claim is: v

1. A container of the class described comprising a pair of sections eachclosed except at one side, the Walls of the container being resilientlyflexible, the open sides of the sections being diagonally disposed, andthe sections at their-said sides being interfitted with the marginalportions of their rear walls overlapped and united together.

2. A. container ofthe class described comprising a pair of sections eachclosed except at one side, the walls of the container 1 beingresiliently flexible, the open sides of the sections being diagonallydisposed, and the marginal portions of the rear walls of the sectionsbelng overlapped and un ted together to form a vertical medial portionless flexible than the remainder of the rear wall.

3. A container of the class described comprising a pair of sections eachclosed except at one side, the walls of the container being resilientlyflexible, the to and bottom walls of each section being 0 trapezoidalform whereby the rear wall of each section is of greater width than thefront wall of said section, the open sides of the sectlons beinginterfitted with the marginal rtions of their rear walls overlapped anunited together to form a vertical medlal portlon less flexible than theremainder of the rear wall, and the said top and bottom walls at theirfree ends being mutually overlapped.

4. A container of the class described comprising a pair of sections eachclosedexce t at one side, the walls of the conta1ner belngresiliently'fiexible, one section of the container being fitted at itsopen side into i the other section of the container, the top and bottom.walls of the. sections bemg of trapezoidal form whereby to be mutuallyoverlapped at their free ends, the marginal portions of the rear wallsof the sections be- 1 mg overlapped and united together to: form avertical medial portion less flexlble tha the remainder of the wall.

5. A container of theclass described comv prising a pair of sectionseach closed except at one side, the sections being arranged with theiropen sides confronting each other and with their rear walls unitedsubstantiallyvertically medially of the back of the container, and abacking sheet arranged withm the container against the inner side of thesaid back, and constituting means for" projecting the contents of thecontainer towarda the container 1s the front thereof when spread open.

prisin 6. A-container of theclass described com a pair of sectionsclosed except -at one si e, the Walls of the container being resiliently flexible, the open sides of the sections being diagonallydisposed, the sections at their said sides bein interfitted with themarginal portions of ti eir rear walls overlapped and united together,and resilient means disposed within the container tending to occupya-plane regardless of relative movement of the said sections away fromeach other about their united marginal rear wall portions. x

7. A container of the class described comprising front, rear, side andtop and bottom walls of resiliently flexible material, the said a frontWall being divided vertically medially and the saidtopand bottomwallsbeing divided along lines diverging from the front wall toward the rearWall whereby to provide overlapping portions at the top and bot-tomwalls of the container, and a resilient sheet of material disposedwithin the container against the inner side of the back wall thereof andtending to occupy a plane regardless of relative movement of the dividedhalves of the container away froni each other about the vertical medialportion of the back wall and constituting means for projecting thecontents of the container toward the front thereofwhen the container isspread open.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

' GEORGE H. GROSS. [L. 8.]

